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Lot 23

 

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An artist keenly aware of contemporary culture, Bose Krishnamachari frequently accesses the global archives of various disciplines in the creation of his canvases. “Krishnamachari’s oeuvre includes a manipulation of photographic elements and bright abstract spaces. While his canvases operate on a formal capacity, with their spectacular combination of color, texture and contrasting designs, they also have a strong intellectual basis. Influenced... An artist keenly aware of contemporary culture, Bose Krishnamachari frequently accesses the global archives of various disciplines in the creation of his canvases. “Krishnamachari’s oeuvre includes a manipulation of photographic elements and bright abstract spaces. While his canvases operate on a formal capacity, with their spectacular combination of color, texture and contrasting designs, they also have a strong intellectual basis. Influenced by the conceptual slant of much modern British art, a result of his tenure at Goldsmith College, London, Krishnamachari makes us rethink the connection between signifier and signified. He questions the validity of the image as a purveyor of fixed meaning. The excessive clarity of Krishnamachari’s photo-realist motifs is imbued with an unsettlingly surreal aura and his abstract patterns embody a shifting network of signs” (Paths of Progression, Saffronart and Bodhi Art exhibition catalogue, 2005, not paginated).

In the present lot, Krishnamachari’s longstanding preoccupation with the city of Mumbai is reflected in his photorealist rendering of one of its quintessential dabbawalas or food deliverers. Highlighting the alienation that life in the metropolis can lead to, the single figure is relegated to one side of the dark, almost monochromatic canvas. At the same time, this large-format painting speaks of Mumbai’s distinctiveness and fortitude. A profession unique to the city of Mumbai, the dabbawala network ferries about two hundred thousand lunch boxes across the city every day with utmost punctuality. Mostly illiterate, the dabbawalas work with a specific symbolic code, which ensures that each lunch box is delivered to its rightful owner. With a reliability rating of six-sigma, this network is one of the most dependable supply chains in the world. Reflecting on the multifaceted nature of Mumbai through the dabbawala, Krishnamachari also pays tribute to these humble professionals who represent the epitome of perfection, management and punctuality.

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